The day after Kangwa: Zlatanovic waits for the Serbian empire
He left Serbia for Spain at a young age, after growing up with the bitter rival Partizan Belgrade. With the Zambian already wearing green, Hapoel Be'er Sheva's star needs to find the net for the first time this season.
After parting ways with Kings Kangwa, who was sold to Panathinaikos, Hapoel Be'er Sheva needs Igor Zlatanovic at his peak more than anyone else against Red Star Belgrade (Tuesday, 20:30, Sport 3). The Serbian did not score in Hapoel Be'er Sheva's first three matches this season: in the Super Cup and in the two matches against Vikingur.
Dry spells are not unusual for the Serbian. Last season, he had a two-and-a-half-month silence, from mid-September to the end of November, which included eight matches in which he did not score for Hapoel Be'er Sheva. In those days, Ran Kozuch was asked quite a few questions about the player he brought from Maccabi Netanya. Kozuch gave full backing to Zlatanovic, while Dan Biton scored the goals and kept Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the title race. This support naturally helped the striker, whom Kozuch knew well from Maccabi Netanya.
Zlatanovic was a significant part of the execution in the second half of the season, when Biton went on a hiatus that has not yet ended. Zlatanovic and Kangwa kept Hapoel Be'er Sheva attacking with many goals, but even in May, in the last five matches, including the State Cup final, Zlatanovic struggled to find the net. These meetings with Red Star Belgrade surely do something to him. As someone who grew up in the youth department of Partizan Belgrade, Red Star is the big rival. Although he left Serbia at a very young age, when Mallorca purchased him and he began to wander between clubs in Spain on loan, now the Serbian is about to meet the empire from his country in two meetings that could set up the big dream for Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
It is true that Zlatanovic is not one of the strikers who can set up goals for themselves easily. He feeds, obviously, on his friends in the attack. He needs situations and needs balls, but he is the main executor, especially after Kangwa moved to Greece. In the last match against Vikingur, it was Zahi Ahmed and Amir Ganah who led the team to the third round of the Champions League qualifiers. This was important after the criticism that Hapoel Be'er Sheva does not have quality enough wingers for a team that wants to fight for the championship in the country and have a good season in Europe. Joao Victor, who was brought to upgrade the wing, was injured. Ahmed and Ganah took all the responsibility, but now the ball passes to Zlatanovic. Both in the coming week in Hungary, and certainly in the return leg in Belgrade. Many Serbian eyes will be cast on the striker, but also Israeli eyes. Whoever won the full trust of Kozuch last season and rewarded him with 14 league goals, needs to be there for Hapoel Be'er Sheva at one of the most decisive junctions for the club in a long time.
